Broken Spine Social Club

In the dark depths of bitter late January, we’re all ready to break out the Birkenstock Arizonas and stretch out in the sun. But what if embracing the winter blues is the happiest, healthiest choice for a more grounded, enjoyable cold snap? Taking a page (literally) from Aldo Leopold, today I recommend my favorite seasonal eats, wears, and practices - along with a few wintery book recommendations to help you make the most of the season.

MY SUBSTACK: https://blottingpapers.substack.com

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

Books, literature, lifestyle, seasonal living, winter, recipes, fashion, book recommendations, book club, literary fiction, thrillers, winter books

With 38 books bagged, which were my favorite reads of 2024? I take you through the top 5 books I read this past year, figuring out what my literary theme of 2024 was (hint: nature. A lot of nature.), as well as diving into a few of my not-so-favorite books I managed to get through before year-end! 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

Best books, favorite books, book recommendations, book club, reading, reading goals, Goodreads, 2024 review, year-in-review

Oh Father! Shannon of FluentlyForward and I go deep - no pun intended - on Sierra Simone’s ‘Priest’, the spicy story of Father Tyler Bell, a man of the cloth who ditches his when the beautiful Poppy Danforth joins his small town Kansas parish. What makes spicy writing spicy, when is it *not* spicy, and special feature Sin-O-Meter ranking your fave fictional priests! 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

Sierra Simone, priest, romance, romance books, book club, book chat

In 1990, Emory graduate Chris McCandless donated his life savings and took off to wander the American West. In 1992, McCandless's remains were found in the back of a bus in the Alaskan bush. The seminal “Into the Wild,” by investigative journalist, climber, and outdoorsman Jon Krakauer attempts to uncover not *what* happened to the off-grid adventurer, but *why* McCandless took off on his own. And from the safety of cozy couch, accompanied by white wine and hot water bottles, two routine-driven girls discuss the same. 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

Chris McCandless, True Crime, Books, Nature, Nature Writing, Book Club, Adventure Story, Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild, Into Thin Air

You may know him from the Oscars circuit for films such as “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri” or “The Banshees of Inishierin”. But my work wife Cliona knows him (albeit, slightly mistakenly) as “that local fella” who wrote the plays her Grannie and Aunt took her to in Galway. Today we are talking Hans Christen Andersen, colonialism, and Phoebe Waller Bridge along with Martin McDonough’s very very very funny 2018 play, “A Very Very Very Dark Matter”. 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

Books, Literature, Culture, Book Club, Books to Read, Favorite Books, Best Books, Plays, Theatre

Calm and calamity meet when my nature friend Alyssa Armbruster joins the podcast to discuss her favorite read, 1949’s ‘A Sand County Almanac’ by naturalist and conservationist, Aldo Leopold. Alyssa and I chat about how to define nature in a contemporary context, how to live seasonally, and the steps we can all take to live Leopold’s ‘Land Ethic’. 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod 

nature, ecology, environmental sciences, natural resources, Aldo Leopold, conservation

In this red, white, and blue mini-sode, I cover my top anxiety-relief tips and tricks as the most stressful day of the calendar year approaches: Election Day. 

Morning to night, I share the practices, tools, and tips that help me bring calm into my life each day, in hopes this Election Day won’t be a panic-inducing, blue-light addled mess for you, dear listener! 

Happy listening and don’t forget to vote! 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

Welcome to an extra special, totally terrifying, spooktacular episode of BROKEN SPINE SOCIAL CLUB: A GOTHIC LITERATURE DEEP DIVE. Today we take a look at all things ghastly, ghoulish, and Gothic as we dive deep into this infamous literary genre. From Gothic literary history to themes and tropes, book recommendations and more, you’re in for a blood-curdling Halloween listening experience. 

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bsscpod

Books, book reviews, book recommendations, literature, book club, literary history, reading, readers, what to read next, gothic books, halloween

In 2022, newly minted reader Nicole Wiebe founded Denver Book Swap Society with one goal in mind: keep reading affordable and sustainable. In the 2 years since Denver Book Swap Society’s launch, the group has spawned endless chapters, events, friendships, and book clubs across multiple cities and states - and today, we sit to chat with Nicole on her reading journey, “affordable / sustainable” bookish philosophy, and how to make reading a community-based experience. 

DENVER BOOK SWAP SOCIETY: https://www.bookswapsociety.com/ 

DBSS INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/denverbookswapsociety/

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brokenspinesc/

Books, book club, community, Denver, Denver Colorado, book clubs, book clubs to join, affordable books, sustainable books, book recommendations

If everyone you met forgot you as soon as you left their sight…how would you define yourself? V.E. Schwab’s 300-year-old protagonist Addie LaRue explores this very question when she sells her soul to the dark — and Human Design coach Courtney Carteret and I do as well, as we sit down to chat about the 2020 magic realism powerhouse along with a dive into Courtney’s background in human design. 

SHE WENT ROGUE HUMAN DESIGN COACHING: https://shewentrogue.com/

SHOP BOOKS OF THE POD:https://bookshop.org/lists/books-of-the-pod

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brokenspinesc/

Books, book club, magic realism, fantasy, fantasy books, magic, reading, book recommendations, books to read, human design, human design chart, astrology, podcast, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue